>> damascus allows you and inspectors access to the site of an alleged chemical attack. the u.s. says it has little doubt that the assad government carried it out, but russia is warning against jumping to conclusions. also this week, bradley manning request a presidential pardon after being sentenced to 35 years in jail for the biggest leak in american history. plus -- >> we were faced with an ultimatum of the british government to hand back the material or destroy it.

>> the editor of the guardian newspaper reveals how he was pressured to destroy files he received from nsa whistleblower edward snowden. the top stories this hour. a look back at the top stories from the last seven days, and the latest on rt. damascus has given you when inspectors access to a site of an alleged chemical attack. the u.s. says it is nearly certain the assad government carried this out, a serious response alongside its ally, the uk. >> damascus has agreed to allow the u.n. access to the scene of the alleged attack, but while

damascus says it will do its maximum to assure the safety of passage of the investigators, the actual territory is held, so ultimately, it will be the rebel forces who determine whether or not the you when inspectors have the access that they require. it is said that this now comes to old late. . we are hearing from the u.n. that they will, regardless, begin their investigation on moday. the united states has very little doubt that damascus was behind this chemical strike, and the intelligence is basing these claims on the number of reported deaths. we are hearing upwards of 100 people were killed, and also, they are basing the claims on the type of injuries and on eyewitness reports. these kinds of discussions are emerging as barack obama, the american president, talks about

things with his security advisers and terms of an american response is, indeed, there has been the use of chemical weaponry. president obama has repeatedly said if a side uses chemical weapons, that would be a egregious, and then foreign and american intervention would be justified. now, this comes as the united states uses its naval forces to move closer, and we are hearing from the united states that it would be prepared to strike if, indeed, called upon to do so. this comes as serious and state television said soldiers entered a number of tunnels that had been used by rebel fighters, and there, they found evidence of chemical waste. there were empty shells that had marks on them made in saudi arabia, saudi arabia being a critic of the president, bashar al-assad, and there seem to be a lot of reports and evidence that

the rebels, in fact, are responsible for carrying out these chemical attacks. all of the footage and all of the reports circulating online are, as yet, unverified, and some are vowing revenge create we have an audio recording that is also posted online that saying in revenge, they will fire 1000 rockets at the assad regime. >> well, the russian foreign ministry is worried about the pressure being put on the assad government, despite the u.n. investigation into things, though the investigation has not started yet. we have more on moscow's reaction. >> moscow is urging caution to the west, saying that assigning the blame to go soon in the chemical weapons with serial would be a tragic mistake. in fact, in a statement, the

foreign ministry did not mention the u.s. by name, but it says, we strongly urge those who are trying to impose their opinion on the u.n. ahead of an investigation announced the possibility of military action against serious to exercise discretion and not make tragic mistakes. again, they did not mention the u.s., but this comes as barack obama has met with his security advisers and military advisers and has spoken with the military -- the british representative, but president obama has not made a decision as of yet. now, russia has suggested that in these situations, it could be difficult to decide who is responsible, and he could even be the rebels that are responsible for a chemical attack vomit if, in fact, a chemical attack has actually happened. in a less formal statement, washington officials have said that we have seen all of this

before. in fact, discussing this back or in the bush administration, saying that the bush administration pointed to weapons of mass distraction, which were never found in a rat, and yet that led to an occupation and 10 years plus of united states involvement in the country, so russian officials urging caution, that they do not want to see a repeat of the situation in syria, and they are basically asking the u.s. to hold off until the u.n. investigation has taken place and they know more about the situation. >> despite harsh rhetoric against this theory in government and the u.s. military waiting for a green light to attack, it appears the americans do not want an intervention. are what the latest polls. a small percentage want their president to act, but about 60% say america should not stay away -- i mean, it should stay away civil war in syria. but there is a statement that

obama should do more for the rebels then just send them on, while almost 80%, i should say 90% to not want america to help the opposition. meanwhile, the medical charity doctors without borders say they received more than 3000 patients suffering when the chemical assault happened. 350 people died, but who was behind the attack is still hard to verify. this is the rebel group saying they have got their largest shipment of weapons in the past three days, with the u.s. military buildup in the region. one man says this is not a coincidence. >> we have to see these elements as connected, as related to each other, as a strategy to try to reverse the course that the war has taken, where the government has made very significant gains, and to try to stifle the effort

to bring down the independent government of syria. there are a lot of weapons out there in the world. there are rebel groups at this point, so i do not think it would be a great obstacle for them to obtain the weapons, and why would they want to do it? looking at what the opposition required in libya, and that was a nato intervention. the u.s. is doing what it wants to do, saying what it wants to say to try to mobilize public opinion in the united states to try to justify potential intervention. >> international tensions are running high as the president moves naval forces closer to serious despite cautions over intervention, so what do those preparations for attack typically mean? you can tell us on our website. and it is said that washington wants to divert americans away

from other issues. another says the pentagon is ready to strike, no matter what it says about being cautious, and 13% are saying that the u.s. once political leverage over chemical arms and that u.n. investigation. just 11% believe that the pentagon is ready for an attack just in case. you can log onto our website. >> right from the scene. first rate views and pictures, on our reporters'twitter and instagram. online. >> whistleblower bradley manning

was sentenced to 35 years in prison. he was responsible for the massive leak of classified data that exposed potential war crimes in iraq and afghanistan, and he has now asked for a pardon from the u.s. president. he addressed the letter to obama, saying he acted out of love for his country to protect the values and ideals of the united states, and the ex soldier said he would gladly pay the price for living in a free society. there is a debate about his personal issues which are now grabbing headlines. >> the sentence of bradley manning of 35 years behind bars has sent an unprecedented line. >> a whistleblower who exposed war crimes in iraq and afghanistan and a secret war in yemen and the other things that the u.s. supported. >> his supporters were outside the white house to call for the

white house pardon. supporters of bradley manning say what is at stake is just not his future but the future of journalists and the rights to be informed on the actions that their government is taking. a defense team for him has submitted a request for a pardon, but there seems to be little chance that it will be granted. there is the government crackdown on whistleblowers. >> an unauthorized leak is viewed as being tantamount to aiding the enemy. a governmentwide crackdown on whistleblowers and the extension of this crackdown two journalists threatens to stifle the flow of information that is vital to our public. >> but they have largely failed to stand up for bradley manning. government officials and pundits have all but convicted the whistleblower before the trial took place. >> who cares whether the army killed some innocent people or not over in a rack? we do not

want to be a part of that. it is very uncomfortable. it is an uncomfortable issue, and americans generally will pull back from it, and it allows the media to fill that gap as radley manning being a traitor. >> more headlines than the issues then he uncovered, in the day after the sentencing, his sex became the story. >> who is chelsea? >> bradley manning announced he wants to spend the rest of his life as a female and once to be referred to as chelsea manning. >> a psychiatrist testified that manning has narcissistic tendencies, and i wonder if anything is with that, because she is announcing this in a public way. >> i think this is really trying to let people have the answer that they wanted. she never really wanted this to be public to begin with. when the information came out, you have to understand that she gave it in a very private

setting and in a one-on-one chat, never expecting it to be public. now that it is, unfortunately, you have to do with it with it in a public manner. >> the attorney says she never wanted this issue to overshadow the story about what was released in the leaks. >> after a short break, we take a look at the latest allegations against the nsa coming from top- secret documents leaked by edward snowden. that and other shortly. stay with us.

>> the weekly continues here on rt. there is new information from edward snowden, saying that the nsa has been listening in on the united nations. >> america's national security agency allegedly cracked the encryption guarding the united nations internal video conferencing system, and that is according to a german publication that says that the

surveillance of the united nations to lace last summer, and three weeks after hacking into the video system, the american spy agency had allegedly boosted its number from 12 to 400 58. for anyone who does not already know this, spying on the u.n. is illegal under international law, and their spiegel also says there is a moderate--monitoring program in over 80 embassies and consulates around the world, often without the knowledge of the host country. now, many may be wondering why is it that the united states would want to spy on the united nations, spying on its allies, because as we have been reporting, u.s. president barack obama said himself recently that the nsa is in place to protect american security and target only potential terrorists. >> what we do have are some

mechanisms where we can track a phone number or an e-mail address that we know is connected to some sort of terrorist threat. >> it is unclear how spying on the united nations coincides with the american war on terror. if anything, what many critics are saying that what may come out of the worldwide surveillance is a loss of confidence and reliability on the united states, because you have to think about it. if you have a friend that you trust, and you find out they are spying on you, listening to what you are doing, does that relationship still stay strong? that comes to light not only following this report but questions coming to light ever since edward snowden and blew the whistle on the nsa programs. >> the same german media outlet unveiled how they have listened in to the eu offices and member

of the european parliament reprimanding swedish interests, and they say they are reluctant to introduce new data protection legislation. >> data protection regulation. however, the national security situation is now incredibly tough. political leaders are taking steps to safeguard the trust and confidence in the public networks and internet networks that we as citizens would like for them to undertake. also, what we're seeing is a mishmash of statements. >> the leak that the reporter talked about earlier came from germany. one newspaper has published many of the edward snowden revelations, and that led to the government destroying secret files, because they said dated

good fall into the wrong hands if they were hacked. there were other copies. we have more. >> you have had your fun. now, it is time to return the documents, said the government official to the newspaper. it could be the stuff of movies, only it is not. >> an ultimatum from the british government that we did not hand back the material or destroy it, they would move. >> it has come to be known as the paper that has been exposing secret material from a trove of information passed on to it from edward snowden. in recent days, the editor of the newspaper has also publicized what was going on behind closed doors. security officials have ended up in the basement of their offices, overseeing the destruction of hard drives and information that was being exposed.

it came all of the way up from the prime minister's office. >> i would rather destroy the copy then handed back to them or allow the courts to freeze our reporting, and i was happy to destroy it. we would do it from america and not from london. >> a 21st-century solution. the revelation came just one day after the attention when a partner of a guardian journalist , the journalist who had broken the story of the leak edward snowden nsa materials, he was detained and held in questioning for nine hours at heathrow airport. it caused an outcry among politicians and journalists, and even the independent reviewer of terrorism rules, who demanded an explanation, wanting the uk home office to go on the offensive. >> the government and police

have a duty to protect the public and our national security. those who oppose this sort of action need to think about what they are condoning. >> what it is they are protecting them from. a general statement about terrorism in general does not really do the trick. you have to be up to, well, the information he has got will endanger the public for the following reasons. >> his detention as well as the destruction of computers in the guardian basement has affected the respective newspapers in the spotlight. this story has become the story. >> this is very damaging to the reputation of free speech. they are prepared to use terrorism allegations to shut down investigative journalism. >> there was a noticeably

lackluster response from newspapers following the revelation, especially considering the press freedom appears to be at stake. >> confidential sources. it has become difficult. there is a stated ambition to scoop up everything and to master the internet. as is the language that is being used internally. >> london. >> we have got even more stories for you online. right now, racist haven. a neo-nazi trying to turn a town in north dakota into a racist stronghold. how he is going about it. less, bargaining with bit coins. the emerging digital currency at a special event in berlin. you can find out what is happening all the time online,

rt.com. and experts say levels have not yet seek, and they continue to rise until the second or third of september, another whole week for a region which is already more than seven meters underwater. this is where it all began. the volga river burst its banks, covering an area of france and germany combined. it has been in a federal emergency four weeks, and these three regions have been the worst affected, up to 85,000 in one region alone. three dozen towns and the inhabitants are already underwater. as you can see, the regional capital, a city of 500,000 people, it meets the river, and they are fighting to fortify a

river 35 kilometers long. we have the latest on the efforts. >> this is marina. a resident of the island, and this is her house. the water is waist high. it is a cesspit rather than a home. it is only when you enter the properties that you see the extent of the damage that these waters have caused. she is trying to keep many of her treasured possessions out of the water. it was simply in vain. the entire house is submerged for you and it will take a lot of time, money, and effort before place turns to normal. she is one of hundreds in the region to have been evacuated in recent days by russia's emergency services. she cannot take everything with her and does not know when she will be able to return. for now, she will stay with friends.

>> we have been crying all week. we have lost all our property, and that was after we have resonated -- renovated with new wallpaper and more. >> this village is like a ghost town, but despite the chaos, there are resilient attempts to carry on. this shop remains open, although when we visited, business was slow. many of those evacuated from their homes ended up in temporary accommodation centers in schools and more, with volunteers dividing supplies, such as food, drinking water, and medicine, and there are things for those who have lost everything. >> it is good that aid is going to come. it is good that we have an opportunity to stay here. they treat us like their own children. >> the situation in the region remains critical.

for the west, there is hope the worst is over. the attention is turning to the cleanup operation. >> the situation is changing, and we are going to regroup our forces. people now come from the neighboring region, and planes arrive every day. >> there are some parts of the region that have already been here for 120 years. the fear is that as the rains continue, this can push the eight meter barrier, causing even more devastation and distraction for people's lives and homes. the military and emergency services continue to work around the clock tom a concern that events could be breached by water that, at the moment, shows no signs of receding, and with flood levels not expecting to ease until mid-september, the true extent of the damage has yet to reveal itself, and it could be some time yet before the full picture emerges.

>> time now for some other stories making headlines around the world at this stage of the day. a top politician was attacked on a stage, when some armed with knives jumped at him. he was making a speech. some two dozen others then sprayed pepper spray and tear gas. they have been the subject of several attacks in recent months. and another day of tax -- attacks in a rack. in modal, 11 died in a car bomb explosion. it killed civilians, leaving dozens injured. they have not named any group in particular responsible. and now, to yemen, where a bomb has killed a number of officers in the capital. the device exploded involving a

bus. between one and six officers may have died. the country is struggling to control militants. and violent strikes have entered a six day in colombia. they are clashing with security forces you to recent economic reforms, and these are the biggest protests the country has seen in nearly ever you are decades, and they say they will not allow this to destabilize things. the nation has opened economy to foreign trade, and the new low prices are hurting local producers. my former colleague, he will be with us just about half an hour from now as the news continues. in the meantime, after this short break, it is a technology update. this is rt.

>> sometimes, it seems like things are helpless. doing against the system, you never know. in fact, if you remember a discussion about pink slime being used across america with frozen fast foods, chef jamie oliver has managed to shane mcdonald enough on television to get them to back down and stop using this ultra-processed product at their establishments, and we discussed a racist portrayal of russians in a game. there were thousands of signatures on a petition, and the game has been pulled from

russian shells by the developer. they do all a lot of bad things because they have no morals and are obsessed with profit, but because they have no morals they will instantly start cowering at your feet. sometimes. that is just my opinion. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

welcome to "newsline." it's monday august 26th. i'm catherine toeb yashy in tokyo. united nations inspectors will visit alleged sites for chemical weapons attacks. they say hundreds of people were killed.